Description: This session discussed misc Health Section issues including trends in individual accident & health insurance, increases in health care costs, DRG payments, art & science of anticipation, health care cost containment, HMOs and PPOs. From Record of Society of Actuaries 1983 Vol. 9, No. 4

Description: Health Watch Newsletter, May 2006, Issue No. 52. This article presents information from a recently completed client-sponsored survey of hospital contracting best practices. Individual health plans were evaluated using a structured survey document. The primary objective of the survey was to identify best practices that the client sponsor could implement to improve its already better-than-average hospital contracting practices

Description: Because of increasing longevity in the world's population, a larger proportion of people will live long enough to develop chronic diseases. Because of their large numbers and extent of their individual expenses, the public sector will need to intervene to help these patients and their families. From Financing Chronic Care Monograph, M-HB05-1.

Description: Social determinants of health (SDoH) have been a topic of growing interest in recent years, yet consensus about what the phrase represents and how health-related social needs should be studied or addressed by employers, health plans, providers and other stakeholders in the business of health care have been lacking. For many, low-income populations come to mind when considering the topic, yet SDoH include a wide range of factors beyond income. Many types of data are available, yet each presents distinct challenges and opportunities for analysis. In this article, we describe some of the underlying context for considering SDoH, as well as some of the potential data sources to consult and challenges to grapple with on this important topic.

Description: The SOA’s research objective is to provide guidance to state exchange officials and administrators, federal officials and administrators, and actuaries assisting states and health plans. The goal of the project is to estimate the morbidity and/or cost for newly insured individuals in the individual market (and to some degree, the small group exchange) relative to the morbidity and/or cost for the current commercially insured population. This analysis will primarily focus on the individual, non-group market. In order to plan for the impact that these currently uninsured individuals will have on the health insurance markets, it will be important to understand their costs relative to the costs for people already enrolled, for whom many health insurers have experience and data.

Description: The purpose of the SOA project Modeling Long Term Healthcare Cost Trends for Valuation is to provide a benchmark projection of medical cost increases and provide a user-firendly model for making alternative projections. This paper presents sample output from the model, technical documentation of the model, FAQs, and a review of the literature and references.

Description: Examines the question of whether health-care costs, or health insurance costs, are in crisis.

Description: This article focuses on the actuarial value calculator and the methodology used. It proposes potential future improvements to this model.

Description: In this paper, we shine a light on the global public health epidemic of intimate partner violence (IPV). This first paper presents background information on the problem with a focus on health and economic impacts for the actuarial audience

Description: This session discussion is about AIDS: Experience, trends and projections, medical and disability points of view, pricing, underwriting and epidemiologic implications and results of survey on current practices. From Record of Society of Actuaries Vol. 18, No. 1B.